Using virtual fence to manage livestock in arid and semi-arid rangelands

The emergence of virtual fence (VF) as a precision livestock technology presents an opportunity to move beyond physical fences and alter grazing distribution over expansive arid and semi-arid rangelands. VF can be used to gather and move livestock through a grazing rotation by using passive capture techniques, which enhance predictability and reliability in rotation management.
VF can effectively influence livestock distribution by dividing large, expansive pastures into smaller sub-pastures and help reduce livestock access to riparian ecosystems. Although preliminary results suggest VF has promise as a dynamic grazing-management tool, more controlled research in the desert Southwest is needed to better understand the strengths and weaknesses of the system.